GOD is everywhere, all over. Divinity is endless, limitless, and boundless. Yet how can the frail human with his finite, petty self ever reach the divine? Or, for that matter, how can the lesser being conceive GOD? These issues often linger in our minds. Not unlikely they remain unresolved in most cases.
This often tends to be so or for that matter elusive because though GOD is said to be everywhere, all over, all pervasive and all inclusive, the access for humans to such a limitless entity becomes difficult in the real sense. While the individual is limited and finite in every conceivable aspect the divine entity is the infinite to be cognized and perceived by the limited individual being. Added to this limitation, the human being quite often or normally is frail and vulnerable.
The person is swayed by the instincts and the impulses that often lure him away from the higher godly pursuit or in comprehending the timeless, eternal truth or glory of GOD.
Among such many aspirants, the truly earnest take to spiritual pursuit or ‘Sadhana’ as is often termed. Such a person looks for a teacher, or a ‘Guru’, could be saint, godman or the head of some known spiritual order, the pontiff or ‘Peetadhipathi’, to work towards his goal of finding ‘GOD’. In other words this could be an effort towards knowing the self, realization, or emancipation, freedom from the so called, restrictive bondage of the world.
Even so, to be totally free from the temporal trappings is not the intrinsic essence, as one comes across or finds in due course. Only the individual’s orientation towards the world and its concerns or trappings changes with the inner change that is wrought within. He is in the world, yet out of the world, in the sense the world is not within him. To be precise, he does not carry the trivial cares of existence deep within and is obsessed with the same as before, though handles his day to day chores of life as usual.
The preceptor sets some modes or practices for the individual to be followed in his pursuit. At times the aspirant succeeds, fulfills his destiny and perceives the divine. In most other cases he is continually engaged in the pursuit or makes an abortive attempt without realizing the ultimate truth.
It is not the verbal detail or the physical effort in ‘sadhana’ that confers success, but the cosmic touch or grace in the real sense which causes true awareness to the being, despite all the visible effort. The observance of the set modes of practice or conduct in one’s life in knowing the divine essence is only apparent or superficial, which ceases at the surface, physical plane.
But an ‘Avatar’ or a total, complete manifestation of divinity, the supreme cosmic force which descends on to this earth once in a while, in the wake of time for reasons known or unknown, is capable of bestowing the inner awareness to the lesser mortal irrespective of his effort or pursuit. This is the actual experience of many because the cosmic power can trigger off the awareness or any spiritual state desired within the being irrespective of his effort, status or stature or even frailties. This is the factual experience and exposure that one begets with JILLELLAMUDI AMMA.
JILLELLAMUDI AMMA, identified as the total manifestation of motherhood, personified universal mother, pronounced, “I have only children (‘sisus’) but no disciples (‘sishyas)’. To present this thought for the benefit of the readers in AMMA’S own words “Naaku Sisuvule Gaani Sishyulu Leru”.
To elaborate further this vein of thought. AMMA is deemed an ‘Avatar’, a complete manifestation of divinity. Some of the devout believe SHE is but the incarnation of goddess ‘Raja Rajeswari’, Her Imperial Majesty, at the apex of the pantheon of divinity. For the lesser mortals, as also the uninitiated, all this may sound pompous.
To be simple, and closer to mundane reality let us understand the concept of the motherhood of AMMA. SHE considers all beings as HER progeny, caring for all like a true, genuine mother. SHE decreed that HER motherhood is inclusive of the entire existence. If so, every being is but the child and not a disciple in the conventional sense. Verily AMMA pronounced that SHE is the mother of the entire existence in whatever form.
AMMA declared, “I have conceived all of you but given you to the respective mothers, for upbringing”. SHE supplemented “This creation is timeless; this is MINE”. Thus declaring or confirming HER supreme overwhelming divine persona undoubtedly. HER advent onto this earth is preceded by several good omens and auguries, as the authentic biography reveals. Later, quite a few mystic experiences too vouched HER complete, undoubted divinity.
The relevance of this stance for the ordinary human being is that he can relate to GOD as one’s own mother with far greater ease, comfort and facility. Neither ritual nor reverence need come in between as in the traditional mode. More relevant for any of us is that AMMA can cause the awareness of the truth, timeless or divine glory, or any such infinite reality by HER mere presence, touch or aura despite the person’s frailties or failings. Neither individual virtue or vice are of little consequence in the presence of AMMA.
This gives a great degree of ease, as also comfort to be the child before GOD who has descended as the universal mother rather than be the disciple. A disciple’s relation is necessarily formal and disciplined. The equation becomes structured in method and mode that are well laid over the times.
The child is not fettered by any of these bonds and carefree in the presence of the mother, even if SHE is deemed a god or for that matter an ‘Avatar’. He has the choice of erring or learning by trial, like a toddler making his first steps and then steadying his gait in the normal course. The mother caringly watches over him so that he does not fall and hurt himself. Yet she ensures that the child’s gait is steady and falls free. She enables him eventually to move ahead in life to handle matters material, mundane ably and realize his goals.
Viewed in this manner, the mother god is not far apart from one’s own natural mother. SHE too is caring, guiding and fulfilling one’s aspirations. In this context, AMMA declared, “Seeing ME is attaining”. Attaining in the sense achieving the person’s mundane goals, satiating the material wants and eventually uplift or redeem himself to cognize the timeless truth.
The concept of MOTHER GOD as revealed or as contained in JILLELLAMUDI AMMA’S advent on to this earth, is well boding and augurs well for the lesser beings to fulfill this mundane life and also reach the divine persona. In the end realizing the eternal truth and witnessing the infinite glory of GOD, the MOTHER GOD. To elaborate though deemed ‘MOTHER GOD’ apparently in our personal equations and day to day interface, truly divinity is but the ‘ONE’ that has become the many in the plural world.
To be true, AMMA is the veritable boon for all earnest seekers aspiring for a glimpse of the divine in all its glory. The ordinary lesser mortal can attain the goal, in the carefree comfort of being a child in AMMA’S domain, without far too many conventional hassles and yet find the timeless truth and be freed of all the restrictive bondage. He is within the world and yet be without.
Proximity to AMMA and being in HER domain of boundless, motherly love can confer the earthly good, as also cause supra awareness which is the cause of all that is and all that exists and which is nothing but that supreme reality.
This is the comfort for us of our mother being the GOD, who cares, caresses and shepherds us towards the goal(s) the mundane as also the unearthly or otherworldly.
It becomes of us to always aspire or long to be the carefree children of AMMA, as AMMA declared none of us are out her lap, reach or the motherly bounds.
AMMA also pronounced a boundless assurance “Seeing ME is attaining”. To capture this essence in AMMA’S inimitable diction the AMMA’S say verbatim is (Nannu Choodatame Pondadam).
This attainment offered by AMMA is all inclusive for the human being and covers all the aspects, cares of his mundane and spiritual existence. So let us be the merry, blessed carefree children on this earth in AMMA’S DOMAIN, HER boundless, all inclusive realms of motherly love. Such yearning or state of the mind summons us into AMMA’S presence which suffices for us for all the ends of all kinds for us in our brief, little life span on this earth.